Born Naughty

'Born Naughty' seemed just the kind of easy-watch television I was looking for. That was until I started watching. Either the edit selection was shoddy, or the director had no idea what they were looking for, as shots were all similarly awkward. The main coverage was as expected but wherever there was an edit to cover, only aided by voiceover, the shots showed awkward contributors leaving their houses and harsh sound quality differences in ill-fitting flashbacks.

dailymail,co.uk

The voiceover script was great at pointing out the obvious and at times, was a little assuming and cringeworthy. I'm not sure if it was the delivery or the script itself, but either way, lines such as, 'the family, who are now hungry for answers' after an intro about poor Bobby's life-affecting eating habits, just didn't work with the tone of the series. It was supposed to be an investigative medical format in which the aim was to help the families, not laugh at them. More than once were these quite serious issues put down to poor parenting and to mum being called lazy by grandma, and there really is no need to put that comment on every title sequence! The series so far has not captured the medical responsibility at all, nor the doctor/patient understanding. It's more of an 'us' and 'them' feel, gathering evidence in family homes and keeping their findings from them until the big reveal, pinning all their hopes on one moment. Professionalism and sensitivity, if there was any, were not reflected in the edit, jazzing it up with flashbacks and poor audio mixing, and I found it distracting.

radiotimes.com

In episode 2 it wasn't just poor edit selection either, we were being told one thing and shown another. We could pick holes in our 'experts' opinions because we had been present at times when those traits had not appeared on camera. Like when Jessi-Jai, a young girl with speech problems was miraculously saved by losing her dummy. On first visit, when Dr Ravi met her, she was sociable and imaginative, even sharing eye contact. On the second visit she instead did things her way, avoiding interaction. From minute to minute we as an audience were being pulled through a non-existent, inconsistent narrative of edited codswallop, that could potentially even be quite damaging to both contributors and viewers. Parents have the carrot of a cure dangled in front of them for the whole production, only to have their dreams realised, or destroyed right at the end. It's just not ok, I could barely watch. The children themselves were the redeeming ingredient in this horrible mix of opinions and experiments.

Completely insensitive, poorly scripted and inconsistent. Come on Maverick, you can do better than that.

Kid Criminals

As Channel 4 titles go, 'Kid Criminals' is a relatively loose term. It is certainly better than the Daily Mail's headline of 'Inside the Prison for Teenage Paedophiles', which is almost completely detrimental to the message portrayed by the programme.

channel4sales.com

'Kid Criminals' is all about rehabilitation in an Indiana prison, it's about erasing an action that may otherwise, destroy these kid's futures. Although, perhaps that in itself is a bit of an oxymoron, as deleting a prison sentence on paper, certainly doesn't hold up against this televised admittance of their crimes.

dailymail.co.uk

Despite the confused ethics of the programme itself, it was well-made, with the young contributors proving extremely self-aware throughout. 'Kid Criminals' learned to play on our morals more than once. We learned to sympathise with the kids, learned how teaching over punishment is favourable and how, in most cases, it works. The show provides the figure of 10% as the rate of re-offence, whereas in the UK, where the scheme is to punish rather than to rehabilitate, the rate is at almost 80%. So is this the way forward? Should we aim to understand those we call monsters, and work with them, rather than against them? According to the evidence here, yes, we should.

entertainment.ie

After episode 1 focused solely on the kids detained for sexual crimes, I expected there to be a thematic transition into episode 2. In ep. 2 however, I feel the programme took a nose dive. They could have separated girls and boys, they could have carried on with themed offences, but instead they only bothered to draw differences between 'kids who fight' and 'cho-mo's which I feel is not helpful for the kids on either programme and is not empathetic to the range of crimes from offenders in episode 2 either.

It felt a little rushed, and there were so many stories crammed in to Episode 2 that it was a little hard to keep up. We had no time to really connect with any of them. Episode 1 was far better than episode 2 because we were given the time to understand our characters and explore the way they came to terms with their crimes. We learned to like them.

channel4.com

For example, we meet Clutter - who is halfway through his rehab programme that has helped him to leave behind ordeals like being shut in a washing machine by his father. He is clearly smart and often takes up the role of advisor to other inmates. We learn to like him quickly, as we watch him smile at his mother's encouragement, which makes it difficult to comprehend his crime. 

We also meet McNair, also 14yrs old and Clutter's cellmate. We watch as he finds it difficult to share with others what he has done. He finds it hard to forgive himself, and progress in dealing with his feelings. We watch him as he seems to vanish in his thoughts and we will him to complete his programme and wipe his slate clean - is this the future of rehabilitation, do we really take on the Indiana state initiative and 'forgive those who trespass against us'?

indianapublicmedia.org

I liked the idea of the two-part series, but in practice, themes were an issue and the structure of the two programmes could have been better. It is a really interesting approach to rehabilitation and I think we could have stretched to more air-time to really reflect the success of the prison programme. It did go further than ITV's 'Kids Behind Bars' though, in showing us something we DIDN'T know. I just wanted more.

You can watch the programme for yourself at 4oD: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/kid-criminals

Children on the Frontline

A debut for photojournalist Marcel Mettelsiefen and genuinely my favourite Channel4 documentary...ever. I'm not convinced why, but the pacing and structure, the engaging contributors, the setting of the story at the frontline in Aleppo, the constant jeopardy of gunfire and snipers and some wonderfully emotive original music from Andrew Phillips made it the most compelling factual programme I've viewed in a long time.

casarotto.co.uk

Mettelsiefen gained access to a family at the forefront of the Free Syrian Army's (FSA) fight. We were faced with the plight of 4 children, wise way beyond their years: 5yr old Sara, 8yr old Farah, 13yr old Helen and 14yr old Mohammed. All children of the commander of the FSA battalion at the front, Abu Ali Al-Saliba, now missing and presumed dead by the hands of IS militants.

www.stern.de

We also meet with a well-known face among the revolution, 13yr old Aboude, who spends his days rallying support, singing and encouraging others to victory with his pro-revolution posters. It's almost like some mocked up interview where it's been scripted by a 30yr old, but actually is completely devised by the brains of a 12yr old. It's astounding how much these children understand about their conflict, even more so, how aware they are of themselves. His mother even tells us how his parents tried to deter him from his work but how he cried for days and instead set to work making posters. Aboude is not blind to the dangers of his work either, he tells his mother that she should not be sad if he should die and sees his role as a duty. It's commendable, if not tragic that such a young boy should feel to hold the weight of the nation's hopes on his shoulders.

express.co.uk

The three girls of Abu and Hala spend their days tidying up houses that have been bombed by the Aasad regime where the youngest girl Sara, finds sporadic refuge in the toys of the children that had lived there prior. But older sister Helen is quick to remind her of her moral values 'it's wrong to take other people's belongings' and returns them to their rightful place. It's moving to see such clarity of goodness and judgement amidst a conflict that knows nothing of the kind. 

14yr old Mohammed also shares philosophies way beyond the childish woes we hear so often at home, as he states, 'What ever happens to the men, to my father, will happen to us as well'. Helen shares 'we will live and die with our dad...why should we leave him'. These children hold within them the hope for a better world and the loyalty and resilience of the people behind the revolution.

miscethoughts.blogspot.com

www.stern.de

Similarly we see how they still try to have a childhood, as Helen teaches her siblings as they cannot attend school, so that they have a hope in their futures. She also asks Sara to tell her about her dreams... she is encouraged to play and to dream, rather than to grow up too fast. “I just want my siblings to be happy…to feel the spirit of childhood, the spirit of play,” she says. Although we do see a moment, a flicker of doubt in their hope, when Farah describes how one man lost his head when a bomb exploded as he lit it. As she nods to tell us she saw the man after he had died we can only imagine the feelings she must have experienced. The hope falters further when we hear a shell explosion nearby, 'that was close by' she says rising from her seat. We see an instant change in behaviour that crushes our maternal empathy so much that it turns to dust. I cannot imagine what their mother must feel each day as her children play on a balcony targeted by snipers.

channel4.com

It was wonderfully shot, focussing on the children of the conflict gave a more honest account than I am used to. Adults reason, they cover up, they have agendas, children simply have their desire to be children and their very natural and inhibited responses to the questions they are asked. We cannot tear our eyes away from their fight, from their fear, cannot help but honour their resilience and cannot help but feel as though we have lost something when the programme ends without hearing the rest of their story.

I cannot stress how great I thought this film was. A really great achievement for Mettelsiefen and if this standard is anything to go by, I can't wait to see his next work.

For more visit:
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jan/23/children-on-the-frontline-syria-review
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/episodes/children-of-the-frontline

The Men With Many Wives

oneclickwatch.ws

Although the evidence placed before us in 'Men with Many Wives' is that women often want a polygamous marriage too, I still fail to see how they could possibly get anything out of the deal. Similarly, I see nothing more than a desire for more sex from the male perspective (although some say they don't, our marriage broker suggested that up to 80% of polygamous marriages were driven by sex) - which surely should not be a good enough reason to remarry. I'm open to the existence of polygamous marriages but as hard as I try, I cannot work out at all, what the female party gets from that relationship, and why women too are not allowed to find themselves four husbands, as men can find four wives!

With over 20,000 people existing as part of polygamous marriages in the UK at the time of broadcast, I really want to understand from the women what's in it for them. I myself have personal ties with those I know existing within a co-marriage and still cannot fathom reason as to why they would agree... and I think that's why the C4 documentary left me so frustrated. THERE IS NO REASON for so many wives... and I have an unhealthy obsession with reasons and answers to questions and findings.  

dailymail.co.uk

The documentary itself progressed well until part four. Within just ten minutes they tried to cram in a half-hearted argument that said polygamous marriages aren't always positive, that they can break down and can leave some wives feeling as though they aren't wives at all. We meet independent mum Shaheen who is on her second husband and hasn't seen him for months. She is planning a divorce. Why was this part so rushed? It made no story-sense to enlighten us to this right at the end of the film when it could have been an interesting part of the story's development.

chennel4.com

They found some interesting male characters to follow, mainly Hasan with a need for third wife, marrying her without inviting his first two wives, although they were accepting of the marriage. He made it sound like he was doing a good thing by marrying her, in that she was older than the others and unlikely to get another match. He couldn't wait for her to meet the family on a day out at the park. Omar gave no better reason for marrying again than 'this is allowed' and his wife no more than 'I want to revive something that's dying out' (maybe it's dying out for a reason). It was an insight into their reasoning behind polygamy, which was after all, the film's objective but it just left me with the conclusion that it's just unnecessary. I wanted to know why and I wanted to hear more from the women! Instead we met with far too many male contributors telling us about their plans for other wives and were not given sufficient breathing space to explore the wives' opinions and beliefs or indeed if there are any benefits for them:

Tahir doesn't exactly give us confidence in the futures of his spouses: (http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/11497217.Greenwich_restaurant_owner_with_two_wives_shocks_Channel_4_viewers/?ref=mr)

Pointing to his two wives, he said one was good at cooking while the other was better at managing - making them a strong team in the restaurant He added: "They work together nicely".
His first wife Alikah went on to explain why she believes in polygamy, adding: "Normally in marriages, after five years, you get to know the true colours of each other and you start to take each other for granted." 
Mr Tahir is also part of The Obedient Wives Club, an Islamic organisation which, according to its website, teaches wives to "be submissive and keep their spouses happy in the bedroom".

It could have been more for me. The tone of the film allowed it so that I almost succeeded in not disapproving with polygamy at all but it just frustrated me that there doesn't seem to be a reason for it. I would have liked to have explored the failures of polygamy a little more to try to understand but instead it was sneaked in at the end and not given fair air time. The structure wasn't there for me. All in all, a great insight into a fading tradition, that allowed us to see the way that it works in relationships but not nearly enough effort to discover the reasons behind the marriages and the ups and downs of the relationships, particularly for the women. Too many contributors, not enough grit or insight into feelings for me.

I'll give it a 6/10. 

More Sex Please, We're British

I only recently came across Channel 4's 2012 doc 'More Sex Please, We're British'. Now in the last few years, I've been invited to more Ann Summers parties than I count on my fingers, so what on Earth has happened to Britain's stiff upper lip - (couldn't resist).

teddy babe plush doll - lovehoney

Going behind the warehouse workings of Lovehoney, we were treated to find ordinary people with a vivacious sense of humour for dealing with their day jobs. With a sticker system for dirty phone calls and photo shoots in the boss' bedroom, it could very easily be misconstrued as seedy and inappropriate, yet the company characters charm us by speaking smutty at the dinner table and sharing their popular chat-up lines.

It might not have given us the customer access that we wanted so much to complete the picture of this £20million annual craze, but it at least gave us our first glimpse into one of Britain's most popular dirty secrets. With unrestricted access to the warehouse, the returns room, the call centre, the photoshoots, the marketing meetings and to product testing, it was interesting to watch as normal people interacted with some very abnormal everyday objects - or perhaps not so abnormal anymore. So, I may not be about to take on a Teddy Babe anytime soon but I suppose a programme that champions 'happy rabbits' over lonely hearts, can certainly do no harm.

Not a bad insight but would have loved to have had access to a few raunchy consumers for the REALLY juicy stuff!

Making A Documentary - Walking the Nile

On Saturday 25th October, director Jamie Berry gave up his time to speak at the Imperial War Museum's free event 'Making a Documentary’, equipped with his trendy new laser pointer. He went on to speak about the production process of his latest work, 'Walking the Nile' which documents the year-long journey of ex-military man Levison Wood as he walks the world’s longest river. Jamie shared with us exclusive clips that may or may not exist in the final cut of the four-part series for Channel 4, as well as knowledge of logistics, research and of filming in conflict, all of which were of great interest to me, being the areas I wish to work in.

Walking the Nile - Tom McShane

The trip along the Nile meant traveling through dangerous territory. Directly, the newly independent South Sudan, with gangs, armies and rebels involved in the power struggle between the presidential contenders. With oil fields in the North and severe conflict surrounding the journey, Lev (the talent) was quite literally dodging bullets, sending Channel 4's alarm bells ringing and bringing the team's 52 page risk document complete with escape plan, into the spotlight to get Lev out. With Lev in low spirits when he arrived in Sudan the team then faced problems with this unanticipated jump in the journey and failed to secure their VISAs into Sudan. Even when problems like this occurred however, even after all of the kit was confiscated, after the team spent 24hrs under house arrest, after hotels were bugged and Lev was dehydrating in the middle of the Sahara, the production continued and they managed to capture some beautiful moments on film in return. The insight into the process doesn’t just offer up jeopardy to Lev’s outrageous attempt of walking 4250 on foot, but shows the remarkable talent of the production team in overcoming that jeopardy to complete the production.

Walking the Nile - Tom McShane

As the clips at the event were shown exclusively I won't reveal their content, I think the excitement behind the scenes is enough to whet your appetite, but you can be sure to expect unbelievable moments of cute and of crazy. There are remarkable examples of stunning scenery as well as culture, comedy, despair, elation and will. A real trip of a lifetime for us all. If you can’t wait that long then here’s a baby monkey clip to tide you over: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/walking-the-nile/videos/all/walking-the-nile-on-the-road-with-florence? 

Walking the Nile - Levison Wood

I think what I took from the seminar was that no production is a one-man job. Sure, Lev was the front man, a camera-op, an interviewer. Jamie was directing, editing but also counseling Lev along the way. And at every step there were researchers, contributors, production managers, security guards, fixers and camera crew all over the shot, bringing the series together. The core team were all present at the seminar too which shows what a real team effort the series was and that effort from all was evident, even in the short clips we got to sneak a peek at.

Jamie - Director

Speaking to Jamie afterwards, his advice for budding factual film-makers was to narrow down the programmes and genres you want to work in to specifics. Find the shows you want to make, research the companies that make them and email them directly. It might take 1 email, it might take 50, but if you talk about their work, as well as yours, flatter them, you will eventually be picked up. Just don't stop. It's always nice when people who've been there themselves still remember to give us newbies a little of their time, so a round of applause for Jamie!

Didi - Researcher

Didi, the researcher on the series also gave the advice to scour Talent Manager like it's the last thing you'll do. She had never worked in TV before but applied to work on the series and has not looked back since. And just for Didi if she ever reads this, your grandmother isn't the only one that can't wait to see the series!

I didn't think I was going to make it to the museum in time but having sprinted all the way from Elephant & Castle and arriving panting like I'D just walked the Nile, I'm so glad I made it. A huge thank you to the Imperial War Museum for putting on the free event. Remember to look out for 'Walking the Nile' in early 2015 and remember, no film is a one-man job, so buddy up!

Walking the Nile - Tom McShane

 See the rest of this week's IWM Film festival Programme where you can view over 20 short films for free! http://www.iwm.org.uk/film-festival-programme

Find out more about the show and the team here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/walking-the-nile

Pictures: http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2014/aug/08/walking-the-nile-in-pictures

More info: http://luxortimesmagazine.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/british-explorer-levison-wood-in-luxor.html

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-11-26/walking-the-nile-one-man-will-attempt-to-trek-the-worlds-longest-river